Stripped
by ilovepuppies125
Summary: Danny gets dragged to a strip club by Tucker and Dash but her gets surprised to see a familiar face dancing on the stage. How will Danny be able to help this girl?
1. Chapter 1

Stripped

**Hello people, this is an idea I got one night and I decided to write about it. This is loosely related to a backstory behind one of my other stories ****Fenton Family, Phantom Secrets ****that I didn't really elaborate on, however you do not need to read that one to understand this one. I repeat, THIS STORY STANDS BY ITSELF. **

**Anyway, I don't own Danny Phantom, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. **

Chapter 1:

Danny POV-

"Dude, come on," Tucker whined, "It's my birthday." I rolled my eyes, Tucker and had been trying to convince me to come with them to various strip clubs for a while, but, considering that I am dating Sam, I've always said no. Sam, who was actually sitting on the couch beside of me in our shared apartment, rolled her eyes as well.

"Just this once," Dash added, pleadingly. Yes, Dash. In our first year of college, Dash had been my roommate while Tucker went off to some prestigious tech school. After living in the same room for that long, Dash and I became good friends. But he only became one of my best friends when he also became a member of team phantom.

… …

One night, after a long night of partying, Dash was, well, drunk. Even though I had actually had more drinks than he had, my metabolism burned them off at a faster rate, not that he knew that. And for this reason, he would not let me be the one to drive us back to campus. Dash was behind the wheel, and Sam and I were in the back seat.

The semi truck had come out of nowhere, barreling towards us while Dash had swerved into the other lane. With no time to change direction, I had no choice but to phase all three of us out of the car, which was a pile of scrap metal on the side of the road, not even a second later.

… …

"Come on man, live a little!" Tucker pleaded, again, removing me from my flashback. Realizing that this conversation was clearly not going to end, I glanced at Sam who arched an eyebrow at me.

Finally, she sighed. "Okay, Danny, go ahead. But you better not bring home any strippers," she warned with a smile playing on the edges of her lips.

"Why would I need to when I have you?" I asked, playfully giving her a peck on the lips while Tucker and Dash cheered at their victory.

…

A few hours later, we loaded up in my car (considering that Tucker and Dash had assigned me to be the designated driver) and headed to a strip club down town.

I parked about a block away from the club. Pressing the button and hearing my car doors lock with a 'beep-beep' before following behind Tucker and Dash. The club was in a much lower-class area of Illinois, however, I wasn't concerned for my car, it was nothing spectacular, and there was nothing worth stealing inside of it. We walked into the club.

The inside of the club was dark, highlighted only by neon lights on the bar and dancing stage where several women were already dancing for the early crowd. The entire room was filled with fog from the fog machines and the acrid smell of cigar or cigarette smoke lingered in the air. Tucker and Dash immediately raced to the center of the stage to catch the show, leaving me behind. I chuckled a little at their antics, before heading over to the bar and ordering a drink. The bartender handed me a large frosty beer that I sipped slowly as I scanned the club for my friends.

Suddenly the music got louder, and the main event, began. Seven other girls flooded the stage and started dancing sexily to the beat of the music. This was exactly what I had expected, however, what I hadn't predicted was seeing a familiar face on the stage, with her body wrapped around a silver pole.

I blinked, just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Nope, she was still there, dancing with the experience of someone who had been doing it for years. I walked closer until I was standing directly in front of the stage. She hadn't noticed me. I stepped closer still, close enough where I knew she could hear me.

"Danielle?" I asked. The girl blinked her large blue eyes, startled by suddenly hearing her name and looked down at me.

"Danny?" she asked, her eyes still wide and full of shame. One of the girls behind her on the stage cleared her throat at Danielle for stopping her dance but there was absolutely no way on earth that I was going to let her continue. I reached up and grabbed Danielle's wrist, pulling her down from the stage and toward the door where there was enough natural light that I could see her clearer.

"What are you doing here?!" I demanded.

"Umm…" she muttered, "…working?" she finally replied looking up at me with her large blue eyes.

"Not anymore, you're not," I glared at her, my voice low and firm.

"But—" she tried to protest, but I was not going to listen.

"No. Danielle, you are 16, which technically means that you are six. You should not be 'working' here, and moreover, it's technically illegal. No you're coming home with me, right now," I commanded her. Danielle hung her head but made no attempt to argue again.

I grabbed her wrist again and towed her out of the club. A few seconds later, I was stopped by a scrawny man with not-so-scrawny bodyguards.

"Hey man, where do you think you're going with one of my girls?" he asked, trying, but failing to sound at all intimidating, I guess that's the reason for the bodyguards.

I was not happy and I was not about to deal with him. "Listen," I started, my tone icy and dark, " First of all, she's not 'your girl,' second of all, she's my cousin, third of all she's a minor, and forth and most importantly, if you don't let us pass I will have your ass thrown in jail for child prostitution."

The scrawny little man seemed to realize my logic and nodded his head for his bodyguards to let us pass. When we got back into the fresh air, I realized it was dark and the sun had already gone down. This was the moment that Tucker and Dash decided to come looking for me.

"Danny? What's up?" Dash asked as they came outside.

"Look who I found," I said, mostly to Tucker considering dash wouldn't know who she was. Tucker looked at her for a second, probably more distracted by what she was still wearing than her actual face, then finally he seemed to get a realization.

"Danielle?" he asked in disbelief. Danielle squirmed uncomfortably, not making eye contact. Dash seemed confused.

"Alright, I'm confused," he announced, "Who is she?"

"Dash, this is Danielle, my clone, who is also, 16," I told him, directing the last part at her.

"Clone?" he asked, but I was done explaining.

"Listen, I'm sure Tucker can explain, but right now I have to take her home," I told them.

"Okay man, do you want us to come with you," Tucker asked, his tone of voice clearly hoping that I would say no.

"No, you guys can stay, just call a cab when you go home, okay?" I asked. Tucker beamed, shouting his goodbye as he quickly ran back into the club, Dash directly behind him. Now that they were gone, I turned back to Danielle.

"Come on," I told her, a little more gently, as I slid my jacket off and held it out for her to put on, "Let's go home." She smiled weakly, and, almost gratefully at me as we walked the block to where the car was parked.

I opened up the passenger door for her, she slid in and I closed the door behind her before getting in myself on the driver's side.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke up.

"Danny," she mumbled quietly, "Are you mad at me?"

I sighed, realizing that, no, I wasn't really mad at her, I was mad at myself. If I had been there for her, she might not have gotten into this mess, "No Dani," I told her, "I'm not mad at you, and I don't blame you. I blame your upbringing." I growled the last part, the thought of that fruitloop making my blood boil.

We were silent again.

"Why did you do it? Start stripping I mean?" I asked her. This time she sighed.

"I needed the money, I was starving and I couldn't even pay for food, and then I saw that they were hiring so, I don't know, I just went in and they gave me a job," she explained.

I nodded. I still didn't like it, but at least now I understood how she got there. I had one more question, one, increasingly more awkward question for the both of us, and one that I hope she answered 'no' to.

"Danielle," I glanced at her out of the corner of my eyes without taking my eyes off of the road, "Please tell me that you haven't…um…that you didn't…" this was definitely awkward, but, fortunately, for me, she seemed to understand the direction I was taking with this conversation.

"No," she answered, "I just couldn't do it," she whispered. I was relieved to hear this. I'm not sure why it made such a big deal to me that she hadn't sacrificed that part of her life, it just did. Thinking of my clone, a girl who is so much younger than me, and was actually only created six years ago, losing 'it' to a perverted stranger made me want to hurt someone.

We pulled up at my apartment complex. I got out, helping Danielle out of the car as well and leading her upstairs. I knew that staying in our one bedroom apartment forever was out of the question and that I would have to make other living arrangements for her soon, but it would work, for now.

_Now, _I thought to myself, with a slight smile, _I Just have to explain to Sam why I brought a stripper home._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Dani POV-

I looked at the clock, 6:47. The next show would start in thirteen minutes. I looked down at myself. I was dressed in an outfit, that was only a little bit more than leather straps that crisscrossed my body. I sighed, I didn't _want _to be here, to be doing this, but I was left with few options given my situation. I had been here for two and a half years and I _still _didn't have enough money for a stable, comfortable, lifestyle, or, at least a lifestyle that didn't involve stripping. Right now I was renting out a crummy motel room, it was such a craphole that the majority of the tenants were drug dealers or drug users, for that reason, no ID was required, which was a good thing considering I didn't have one.

I looked in the old-fashioned lighted vanity mirror, it was almost hard for me to recognize myself with all of the make-up caked on my face. After all this time here, I was hardly the naïve little girl I was a few years ago. I smiled a little to myself in the mirror, making me look a little bit more like myself.

Then Marcus came into the room, clapping his hands and ordering us into the backroom behind the stage where we had to wait for a minute before we would go on stage. Marcus is the owner of the club who has always taken a…disturbing interest in me. Like right now, for instance, even as all the other girls walked passed him and into the back room, his beady little eyes raked over my body, making me feel extremely uncomfortable as I shuffled passed him, partially hiding behind one of the other girls. The girl I was hiding behind turned to glare at me once we were in the room and stalked away with a scowl on her face.

Since I had been here, I had not exactly made friends. All of the other strippers were, I think…jealous? of me because I was so much younger than all of them so I definitely didn't need to put as much effort into my looks. The only girl I had met, who actually took some pity on me, was Becca, who usually went by her stripper name of Daphne McKay. She was the oldest of the women, and I think she knew her time as a stripper could not last much longer, but she was okay with that. Becca told me that she only needed three more paychecks to be able to quit this job and move herself and her one-year-old daughter Jody, into a new house.

From across the room, Becca smiled encouragingly, yet, somewhat sadly at me. She was the only one who knew how badly I hated this job, and Marcus's looks, and she was the only one who knew (at least the edited version) of what had happened between my "father" and I.

Suddenly, the bell chimed and we flooded out onto the stage. Whenever I was on the stage, I always found it easier to focus on the music and the warmth of the stage lights on my skin than to focus on the hungry eyes and stares of the perverts below. My body swayed to the music and I was completely wrapped up in the dance when I suddenly heard my name from below me.

I was confused, considering I have only, actually told Becca my real name, and I looked down, blinking a couple of times because of the brightness of the lights. When my eyes refocused, I saw the same blue eyes, the ones mine were modeled after, full of concern, staring up at me.

"Danny?" I asked, ashamed for him to be seeing me this way after not having seen me for five and a half years.

Then, as I probably should have expected, Danny yanked me off of the stage and onto the floor below. I stumbled behind him, tripping over my tall heals and into the light where we had stopped. Yep, this was definitely Danny, although the years had been good to him. Since I had last flown off dramatically, I could see that Danny had filled out, gaining some height, until he was now about 6'2" and some muscle. His hair had grown out a little longer but still hung in the same messy style passed his ears and now he stared at me with the same concerned expression I had remembered from a while ago.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, not hiding the accusation that rolled off of his tongue. My shame deepened as I looked up at him, answering as best as I could.

"Umm…working?" I told him.

"Not anymore you're not," he said, his voice full of determination, as if he dared for me to challenge him, which I tried but I was quickly silenced. My hopes rose, just a little as he continued to pull me towards the door.

Unfortunately, Marcus stopped us.

"Hey man, where do you think you're going with one of my girls?" he asked. I couldn't help but shudder a little at the way he said _my girls_.

Danny obviously, wasn't in the mood. "First of all, she's NOT 'your girl', second of all, she's my cousin, third of all, she's a minor, and forth and most importantly, if you don't let us pass I will have your ass thrown in jail for child prostitution," he growled at Marcus, his eyes flashing between blue and green throughout the whole conversation, not that Marcus noticed, he still had his eyes glued to me. Finally he turned to Danny and after a few seconds of a stare down, Marcus slid aside and we went outside. Two guys followed us out, I recognized them as Tucker, Danny's best friend, and Dash, Danny's high school bully. After a short conversation, the two ran back into the club. Danny let out a sigh and turned to me. I stifled a shiver in my, extremely minimalistic clothing, something that didn't go unnoticed by Danny as he slid off his jacket and handed it to me, before leading me to the car.

He opened the door for me and I sat inside. Danny got in on the other side, starting the engine. I felt the engine roar beneath us as Danny backed out of the parking space and started down the streets that had already become dark. There was only silence between us. I felt…like I was a disgrace to him, just like I had been to my father. I pushed back a few tears that threatened to pour out of my eyes before I looked at Danny and asked the question that had been weighing most heavily on me.

"Danny?" I broke the silence, "Are you mad at me?"

He sighed and, after a few seconds answered my question.

"No, Dani. I'm not mad at you, and I don't blame you. I blame your upbringing," his eyes flashed green again with the venom lacing his voice.

"Why did you do it? Stripping I mean?" he asked me after a few more moments of silence. I told him the truth, that I was literally, starving, and after several days of not eating anything, I had to make some drastic choices.

He nodded, and, again we were silent until he asked another question.

"Please tell me that you haven't…um…that you didn't…" he mumbled awkwardly, and I felt awkward too, knowing exactly what he was asking. He was wondering if I had had sex yet. I completely understood why he asked the question, he cared about me and was hoping that I hadn't given that part of myself to some strange man, and thankfully, for both of us, I hadn't.

"No. I just couldn't do it," I replied, honestly. It was not only because I didn't _want _to loose my virginity to a stranger, even though it certainly would have allowed me to earn more money, I couldn't. After all, I am still, technically, a little kid, and seeing all of those men, a lot of whom were older, with graying hair, reminded me of my father. Also, I like to think, that, maybe, just maybe, there is actually someone out there for me, and that I will get to meet him someday. And how would he feel if I had given myself away to strangers when I was working in a strip club, especially considering that that part was bad enough.

Finally, Danny stopped the car and we got out in front of a large apartment complex. Danny helped me out of the car and led me inside. As of now, I had no idea what to expect, I just hoped that, maybe now that Danny had saved me from that awful place, that I might be able to have a normal, and hopefully, happy, life.

'_Well,' _I thought, '_Here goes nothing.' _And Danny and I headed up the front stairs into the lobby.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Danny POV-

We walked in through the brightly lit lobby, as I nodded to the doorman who eyed Danielle and I suspiciously. Obviously, I knew what he was thinking when I was suddenly bringing in a stripper. I ignored him as he slipped into the back room, no doubt, to make a phone call to security, or maybe to Sam, which would, I can guarantee you, be much, much worse.

'_Stupid, nosy, doorman,'_ I thought pursing my lips, as we continued through the lobby. I gently pushed Danielle inside and pressed the button for the ninth floor, quickly followed by the door-closed button. Thankfully, nobody got on the elevator between the lobby and our floor, which prevented a lot of judgmental and disapproving looks that I was glad to avoid.

We made it to Sam and I's apartment without incident and I used my key to open the door with Dani directly behind me. The light was off at the entrance, so I flipped it on, only to see Sam leaning against the wall with an angry scowl on her face.

'_Yes, the doorman had most definitely called Sam. And Sam was most definitely pissed.' _I cursed the doorman under my breath and met her icy violet glare.

"Sam I—" I started, but she cut me off.

"Seriously Danny?" she shouted, "Honestly? What the hell were you thinking? Or was this some kind of dare from Tucker?"

"It's not what you think!" I held up my hands in innocence.

"What do you mean it's not what I think! I mean come on Danny this is—" Sam was cut off in her rant as Danielle stepped out from behind me. I saw her angry scowl shift to confusion and then finally to realization.

"Danielle?" she said quietly, her facial expression softening. Danielle said nothing she just looked up at Sam with her big blue eyes and Sam let out a little gasp. Finally, Sam looked at me, acknowledging her understanding with a tiny nod, before putting her hand on Dani's shoulder and leading her into the living room.

"Dani…what…why…" Sam struggled to form a question as Dani still hung her head in shame.

"Um…Dani…" I interrupted, seizing the opportunity, "Why don't you go into our room and take a shower, we'll bring you some clothes in a minute, but first I have to talk to Sam." Dani nodded and went down the hallway I was pointing to take a shower.

"Dani's a stripper," Sam whispered in disbelief. I nodded and went to sit next to her.

"She told me that she needed the money," I told her. Sam nodded, taking in the information. Then she stood up.

"I guess I'll go find her something old of mine to wear, but you know she can't stay here forever, right?" she asked me.

I nodded, "I know, we'll talk about it after she goes to sleep." Sam nodded again and went into our room to look for the clothes. A few seconds later, I went into the kitchen and decided that I would make us all some food. Now, I am definitely not the best cook in the world, but there is one thing I can make: grilled cheese.

About ten minutes later, I had three perfect (if I do say so myself) grilled chesses on the table, just as Sam and Dani came out of our bedroom. Dani was dressed in what I recognized as an old black silk pair of pajamas that Sam had had since we had first started dating. Dani's face lit up at the sight of the food on the table, and immediately sat down and dug her teeth into the gooey cheese and bread. Sam and I chuckled and sat down to join her. A few minutes later, she had finished her sandwich and most of Sam's. I looked at the clock, it was already 10:47, and because I figured that most of Dani's nights were far later than that, I knew she needed her rest.

"Alright Dani," I told her, "There is a guest room down the hall, you can crash there for the night." Even though it technically was a guest room, it was currently, mostly, an office with a tiny cot crammed in the corner. Dani looked like she wanted to argue but when a yawn escaped her lips she obediently went down the hall, closing the guest bedroom door behind her. I stood up, collecting the dishes and putting them in the sink, and grabbing a beer for Sam and myself out of the fridge. Sam, who doesn't normally drink beer, chugged down about a forth of it in about two seconds.

"So what are we going to do," she asked after a few seconds, looking up at me. I grasped her hand in mine, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"What else can we do? She can't live here and she _cannot _go back to doing what she was doing. So, the only other option is that she is going to have to stay with my parents, which means that I have to tell them…everything," I told her. Sam nodded, meeting my gaze, knowing that this was the only way.

"But what happens if…they don't accept you, or her?" she asked, voicing a concern that had been weighing on my mind too. I nodded.

"I know, and if they don't we'll figure something out, you don't want her on the street either, right?" I asked.

"Of course not," she replied. Suddenly, I heard an almost inaudible sniffle and my ghost sense went off.

Dani POV-

"…she is going to have to stay with my parents, which means that I have to tell them…everything," I heard Danny tell Sam from where I was hiding around the corner. I had gotten up to get myself a glass of water when I heard them.

"But what happens if…they don't accept you, or her?" Sam asked.

I didn't want that to happen, that was a huge sacrifice for Danny to make and I didn't want to have to be the reason for his parents to hate him.

'_No,' _I thought, '_I have to leave, I can't let him put all of this on the line, just for me.'_ I sniffled just a little bit, forcing back tears at the thought of leaving Danny after he just found me, and even more at the thought of finding a new job, since I wouldn't be able to go back to my last one. I changed into my ghost form and prepared to phase through the floor and disappear like he had never even found me.

"You're not leaving that easily," I heard directly beside me. I jumped, startled and turned to see Danny leaning up against the wall, watching me with a cocky smile, Sam right behind him.

"But—if I stay, I could ruin everything for you…I don't want you to have to make that sacrifice, just for me," I said in what sounded more like a whimper than I wanted it to.

"Listen Danielle," he sighed, taking my hand and leading me back to the living room and making me sit on the couch across from the two of them who stared at me intently.

"It's not a sacrifice," Danny said, "At least, it isn't for me. I've wanted to do this for a long time, and, the way I see it, they are going to find out anyway. And quite honestly, if they can't accept me, and _everything _that goes along with this life, then I wouldn't want to be a part of that anyway."

"And," Sam interjected, "There is no way Danny and I are going to let you back on the street to go back to doing _that_ again. We would rather buy a new apartment to make room for you than to see that happen, you are, just a kid after all," she smiled at me, warmly. I couldn't help but smile a little as I stood up and embraced them. They hugged me back, before we all stood up.

"Now, Dani," Danny scolded, "You _really _need to go to bed now." I nodded and Sam grabbed me a glass of water before they both walked me back to the guest room. Danny and Sam tucked me into the cot, pulling the covers up to my chin.

"Goodnight Dani," they told me in unison.

"Goodnight," I replied as they closed the door behind them, before I fell into the most restful sleep of my life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Danny POV-

I couldn't sleep most of the night, every once in a while, I would find myself waking up from a light doze, but other than that, I found it practically impossible to surrender to the sleep that my body so desperately wanted.

And, honestly, how could I? I just realized that I would have to tell my ghost-hunter parents the secret that I have been keeping from them for nearly seven years now, not to mention, that now came with the extra surprise of my clone, who would now technically have to be adopted by them.

I looked at the clock 6:47, about two minutes since I had last looked at it. I sighed softly, realizing that sleep was pretty much out of the question for the rest of the night. I got out of bed, carefully so that I would not disturb Sam who slept blissfully beside me. Walking around to her side of the bed, I bent down, lightly kissing her on the forehead before leaving the room, closing the bedroom door softly behind me.

Our apartment was dark, as I expected it to be, so I flicked on the floor lamp in the corner, lighting up a small patch of the room. Sitting in the overstuffed Lay-Z Boy beside of the lamp (the same Lay-Z Boy that Sam had demanded I get rid of). I smiled thinking about it. I knew why she hated this chair, well, she had many reasons actually, but the first one was, that it was an ugly forest green color that would belong more in a lodge home and definitely didn't go with the crisp, sleekness, of our apartment. Secondly, it was leather, and being the ultra-recyclo vegetarian she is, she hated the idea of something made out of animal skin being on display in our apartment. Even still, I refused to get rid of the green monstrosity, mostly because I actually liked this chair, and secondly, because, this was the first 'apartment warming' present that my parents had given us. I sighed again rubbing my fingers along the smoothened leather.

'_If things don't go well tomorrow, it might also be the last gift we ever receive from them,'_ I thought to myself, before quickly shaking these thoughts away.

'_No,' _I told myself sternly, before I could give myself a chance to back out of my decision, '_You've wanted to do this for a long time and now is the perfect opportunity.' _And, with that thought, I reluctantly removed myself from the Lay-Z Boy and went into the kitchen. The clock on the microwave read that it was now 7:15, meaning that Sam would wake up soon. Now, don't get me wrong, Sam is not a morning person, at all. But that is why she always wakes up when it is still mostly dark outside.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, black, just the way I like it, before stepping out onto our back balcony. From our ninth-floor apartment, Sam and I had a great view of downtown Chicago below. I watched the bustling traffic already starting to form on the early morning streets below as I took a sip of my coffee. Amity Park was only about an hour and a half away from here, although the size of the town was remarkably smaller, even if it had grown a little from the time I was a teenager. The fact is, being the most haunted city in the country; most people tend to avoid Amity Park, except for some fear-seeking tourists. Although, since I had moved to and started going to school outside of Amity, the ghost rating had gone down because the ghosts continued to follow me. I took another sip of my coffee, and leaned on the railing.

Suddenly, two slender arms wrapped around my waist. I turned to see Sam, who had slipped undetected out of the back patio door I had left open, grinning at me, as she leaned her head on my shoulder blade. I clasped her hand in mine and we walked back into the kitchen. Sam hopped up on the countertop, with her legs hanging freely off of the side, as I poured her a glass of coffee, with extra milk, creamer and sugar until it was a much lighter shade of brown before sliding it across the counter to her. She grinned at me, taking the coffee and holding it to her lips, taking a sip.

I chuckled a little, I just couldn't help it. I always find it funny how well Sam and I know each other, some people might get bored by this kind of predictability, but not me. It just reminds me everyday how perfect we are for each other. I pulled her close as she giggled, giving her a kiss, which she gladly returned. I don't know how long we were like that: me standing, kissing her while she was sitting with her legs wrapped around me, kissing me back but we were interrupted all too soon.

Danielle cleared her throat and Sam and I broke apart and glanced at her guiltily. Dani, who was still dressed in her pajamas, arched an eyebrow but quickly shook her head with a small smile before heading to the pantry and pulling out a box of Trix cereal. I walked around to the fridge and pulled out the milk, handing it to Dani. When she had her breakfast exactly like she wanted it, we all sat down at the table.

"Okay, so, you should go get ready. We're going to go get a shower and then, I guess we'll leave for my parents house," I told her.

"Yeah, 'shower,' " she muttered, smirking sarcastically at Sam and I. We blushed, not quite sure what to say.

"Um…yeah…" I said awkwardly, still blushing a little, "We'll meet you out here when we're done." Sam and I stood up, looking down at Danielle.

"Okay," she replied, without looking up from her cereal. With that, I shrugged and Sam and I went to go get ready.

…

About an hour later, Sam and I came back into the living room to see that Dani was comfortable seated in my ugly green chair, eyeing us mischievously as if to say 'what took you so long?'

When she stood up, I noticed that she was wearing one of Sam's old Goth outfits from when we were younger: a black tank top that showed her mid-drift with a little purple oval in the center, a black and green plaid mini skirt with purple leggings underneath and an old pair of combat boots. I didn't want to laugh, but I still found it funny how a girl, who looks almost exactly like me, could pull off one of Sam's old outfits.

"Are we ready?" Dani asked. I looked at Sam who shrugged.

"Yeah, let's go," I replied and we left out the front door.

…

Nearly two hours later (there had been a lot of traffic) I stopped the car in front of Fenton Works. I shifted to park and we all got out of the car.

I looked at the two girls beside me, Sam smiled back at me, putting a reassuring hand on my arm. Dani looked nervous, but she still managed to smile at me.

"Okay," I took a deep breath, "Here we go." And the three of us proceeded to climb the stairs.

**Oh, and in case I haven't said this yet, I don't own Danny Phantom, never have, never will.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Danny POV-

Together, we walked up the front steps to my childhood home with Dani just a little bit behind Sam and I. Sam grasped my hand one last time before I took a deep breath and rang the bell. I could hear the loud chimes resonating throughout the house and I held my breath.

'_Maybe they're not home…' _I considered for just a second before I realized that I thought this too soon as the door handle turned. My mom opened the door.

"Danny!" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug, "What are you doing here?" she asked as she gave Sam a hug too.

"We are—" but I didn't get to speak because my mom had finally noticed Danielle behind us.

"Who is this?" she asked in her concerned, maternal voice.

"Oh, right! Mom this is Danielle. Danielle, this is my mom," I introduced them. My mom smiled warmly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Danielle," she smiled at Danielle but I could see a little confusion or maybe even suspicion behind her smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Fenton," Danielle replied, and I could tell she was still nervous as we all filled into the house. Sam, Danielle and I sat on the couch and my mom sat across from us.

"So Danny, what is this about, really? Because I'm sure you didn't just come to visit your parents," my mom turned more serious, eyeing the three of us suspiciously.

"Umm…I actually have something to tell you, is dad around?" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, shifting on the couch. She eyed us one more time before standing up off of the chair.

"I'll go get him," she announced and walked off into the other room. Sam smiled reassuringly as I drummed my fingers on the worn-out arm of the couch. Not a minute later, my parents returned.

"Danny Boy!" my dad boomed, grinning, and dressed in his usual HAZMAT orange apparel. He grabbed me off of the couch and into a tight hug, almost to the point where I could not breathe. When he finally released, I took a large gasp for air as we all sat back down, this time with my father across from us too. He looked at Danielle, but really didn't seem to realize that he didn't know her, oblivious as always.

"So, Danny, what was it you wanted to tell us?" he asked.

"Sam's not pregnant is she?" my mom blurted out. Sam and I blushed a deep shade of red and Dani covered her mouth to silence the giggles that she was fighting to contain.

"No Mom!" I exclaimed. At this, my mom seemed to calm down, relaxing a little bit more into the chair, however, I couldn't help but notice that her shoulders still had a tightness to them. I took another deep breath, before I once again gained my composure.

"Do you remember the year you built the ghost portal?" I asked, their faces lit up.

"Of course, Danny Boy, one of the finest Fenton inventions your mother and I have ever made!" my dad said with pride.

"He means with the exception of you kids, of course. But yes, what about it?" my mom added.

"Well…something…happened to me the day I actually got it to work," I said slowly, looking them in the eyes.

"What, Danny?" my mom asked, once again, concerned.

"Well, I told him to go inside," Sam interjected.

"But we didn't know that the 'on button was in the middle."

"And then Danny tripped."

"And then there was this huge explosion."

"And then I woke up like…" I trailed off.

"Woke up like how? Danny what happened? Why were you in there in the first place? Don't you know how dangerous that was?" my mom rambled off questions.

"Do you remember how, after that, all of you ghost weapons malfunctioned around me?" I asked.

"Yes…" she answered slowly.

I sighed, "That's because…that's because, the explosion made me half ghost." There it was, my biggest secret, out in the open, just like that. I studied their expressions and prepared to duck in cover just in case one of them pulled an ecto-weapon on me, but instead all I saw were blank expressions.

"How is that possible?" my mom finally asked, looking to me for an answer. I shrugged at her.

"Honestly," I told them, "I don't know."

"It all makes sense now…your clumsiness, skipping school, everything. But wait…if you're also a ghost…which one are you? Did we hurt you?" my mom asked, her violet eyes widening in horror. I stood up, I guess now was the demonstration portion of my show and tell presentation.

"You're not going to like it…" I said quietly. They said nothing, just stared at me in silent anticipation, "Alright then…_Goin' Ghost_!" The familiar white ring appeared at my mid section, sliding up and down my body, replacing my clothes with my iconic black and white jumpsuit and changing my hair and eye colors from black and blue to white and green.

I heard a gasp and I looked down to see my parents gaping at me. And, I just kind of stood there, not sure what to do at this point. We both held each other's gaze for a few seconds before, hesitantly, my mom stood up, slowly walking toward me, never breaking my gaze. When she was directly in front of me, to where I could look down on her (considering I had gained several inches over the years) she whispered, almost inaudibly:

"Danny?"

"Yeah mom, it's me," I whispered back, again, holding my breath.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly.

"Danny! Oh Danny, I'm so sorry," she said and I felt tears hit my jumpsuit.

"It's okay mom, you didn't know," I told her, hugging her. After a few seconds she pulled away, and I realized that my dad was standing beside me too.

"All this time," he said slowly, "You did enjoy hunting ghosts after all!" I laughed a he looped one large arm over my shoulders.

"Yeah…but, there is more that I need to tell you guys," I said finally. They seemed to understand this and went back to the chair, waiting expectantly. I changed back to my human form and sat back on the couch.

"Hmm…where should I start…" I mused, "I guess I should start at your class reunion that we went to when I was fourteen." So I started the story, telling them all about how I found out about Vlad's ghost half. At this, my parents were stunned in disbelief, but they didn't speak as I continued my story. I told them all of the adventures that Sam, Tucker, Jazz and I had had, (excluding any about my evil future self, Dan) until I finally got to where Danielle came into my life.

"And then there's Danielle," I turned to my little hybrid clone, "Do you want to take the story from here?" I asked her.

Dani took a deep breath and nodded. Both of my parents turned their attention to her, my dad, seeming to notice the girl, really, for the first time. "I was created in a lab, by Vlad. Vlad had been tracking Danny for a long time, and he had been using his information to try and clone the perfect half-ghost son from Danny's DNA, considering that Danny would never join him. Somehow, Vlad got me. At first I thought he was proud of me, and that he loved me, so I obeyed him when he told me that I had to help him capture Danny in order to stabilize my form. Anyway, I did and then I found out that it was all a lie. Danny and I kicked his butt and I flew off dramatically into the sunset. However, a few months later, I was dangerously destabilizing and I came to Danny for help. However, Danny and I were caught by the Red Huntress and she turned us over to Vlad, who then proceeded to melt me into ecto-plasmic goop until Danny used the ecto-dejecto to save me."

"So that's where that went," my dad mused quietly. Dani and I chuckled at that.

"Anyway, I flew off again and hadn't seen each other until last night when Danny found me—"

"Checking into a hotel with the last bit of money she had," I cut her off. I didn't want Dani to have to tell my parents what she had been doing with her life for the last few years. I saw her shoot me a grateful smile.

"So wait, if you're his clone does that mean…" my mom asked. Danielle nodded and stood up.

"_Goin' ghost!"_ she shouted _my _battle cry transforming into Dani Phantom. When she had finished I saw my parents beam at her. Dani changed back and sat back onto the couch.

"The only problem is, now…I have nowhere else to go, I can't keep staying with Danny and Sam," she added sadly.

"You should stay here!" my dad bellowed, "You're a Fenton after all!" Dani's face lit up, but my mom just rolled her eyes with a playful smile on her lips.

"Isn't that why you three came here in the first place," she asked and the three of us smiled sheepishly. My mom chuckled, "Even still, Jack is right. You're a sixteen year old girl, and more importantly, you're a Fenton so you will be staying here, with us, in Jazz's old room." Dani's smile continued to grow as she realized the full implications of what my mom was saying, "Speaking of, I should call her, she will be so happy that she finally has a younger sister." We all laughed at this.

"Thanks again, mom," I told my mother as we stood at the door, ready to leave. I looked over her shoulder to where Danielle was demonstrating her powers to my, our, very excited father.

"Of course Danny," she smiled turning around too, "I've missed having a daughter around the house."

She hugged me and I hugged her back, as I headed down the steps to the car.

"Oh! And don't be such a stranger from now on! Now that I know you can fly, I expect to see you home more often!" she called after me.

"Okay Mom," I called back, with a chuckle, "Love you!"

"Love you too, Danny!" she called again, and then my dad and Danielle joined her on the steps, waving goodbye as Sam and I drove away.

Dani POV-

I watched them drive away, but, that thought no longer saddened me, in fact, now, I felt full of new hope and purpose. I finally had a family, and to me, that was all that mattered.

THE END

**If you want to know what happened next, check out my other story, ****Fenton Family, Phantom Secrets ****because this one was actually the prequel to that one. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it, please review if you did. **

**I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**-Kate**


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